How to Choose Your News. How to get the Truth

How to choose your news?

Abridged from J.Brown

You know what's happening in your world. The amount of information is just a click away, maybe limitless but the time and energy we have to absorb and evaluate it is not. All the information in the world won't be very useful unless you know how to read the news. To your grandparents, parents or even older siblings this idea would have sounded strange. Only a few decades ago news was broad-based. Your choices were limited to a couple of general interest magazines and newspapers and three or four TV networks where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news at the same reliable time every evening. But the problems with this system soon became apparent as mass media spread. While it was known that authoritarian countries controlled and censored information, a series of scandals showed that democratic governments were also misleading the public often with media cooperation. Revelations of covert wars secret assassinations and political corruption undermined public faith in official narratives presented by mainstream sources. This breakdown of trust in media Gatekeepers led to alternative newspapers, radio shows and cable news competing with the major outlets and covering events from various perspectives. More recently the internet has multiplied the amount of information and viewpoints with social media, blogs and online video turning every citizen into a potential reporter. But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is. And different sources may disagree not only on opinions but on the facts themselves.

So how do you get the truth or something close? One of the best ways is to get the original news unfiltered by middlemen. Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study or a politician's speech you can often find the actual material and judge for yourself. For current events follow reporters on social media. During major events such as the Israel-Hamas war or the War in Ukraine, newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and recordings from the midst of the tragedy and chaos. Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts, keep in mind that these polished versions often combine the voice of the person who is there with the input of editors who worked. At the same time the more chaotic the story, the less you should try to follow it in real time. In events like terrorist attacks and natural disasters today's media attempts continuous coverage even when no reliable new information is available, sometimes leading to taking correct information or false accusations of innocent people. It's easy to be anxious in such events but try checking for the latest information at several points in the day rather than every few minutes, allowing time for complete details to emerge and false reports to be refuted.

Good journalism aims for objectivity. Media bias is often unavoidable when you can't get the direct story in multiple outlets which employed different reporters and interviewed different experts. Tuning into various sources and noting the differences, let you put the pieces together for a more complete picture. It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion. Words like ‘think, likely or probably’ mean that the outlet is being careful or, worse, taking a guess. And watch out for reports that rely on anonymous sources. These could be people who have little connection to the story or have an interest in influencing coverage. Their anonymity makes them unaccountable for the information they provide. Finally, and most importantly, try to verify news before spreading it. While social media has enabled the truth to reach faster it's also allowed rumors to spread before they can be verified and falsehoods to survive long after they've been refuted. So before you share that unbelievable or outrageous news item, do a web search to find any additional information or context you might have missed and what others are saying about it. Today we are more free than ever from the old Media Gatekeepers who used to control the flow of information. But with freedom comes responsibility. The responsibility to curate our own experience and ensure that this flow does not become a flood leaving us less informed than before we took the plunge.

Task 1. Memorize the vocabulary as it could be helpful:

to absorb information- засвоювати інформацію

covert wars -приховані війни

to undermine faith -підривати віру

breakdown of trust -зруйнувати довіру

to get the truth of something -отримати правду про щось

middleman- посередник

midst -серед

accusation -звинувачення

to be refuted -бути спростованим

bias -упередженість

unavoidable- неминучий

unaccountable- непідзвітний

Task 2. Make up 5 sentences using the vocabulary

              Task 3. True or false:

1.Nowadays the choices of getting information are limited to a couple of general magazines and newspapers and three or four TV networks.

2.Corruption was never undermined by social media in the democratic society.

3.The breakdown of trust led to the alternative newspapers.

4.Reporters’ polished versions always suggest the most accurate information.

5. It’s important to have lots of info sources to get the clear picture of an event.

6. Anonymity makes reporters irresponsible for the information they provide.

               Task 4. Speculate and answer the questions

              1.Can we totally trust the information from the news we get from the social media?

2.Is it easier nowadays to get the truthful information?

3.Can you become a reporter?

4.Why is it responsible to become a reporter?

5.Why is it important to judge for yourself while reading news?

6.What are the ways to get the truthful information?

7.Is it valid to believe the anonymous sources of information?

8.Does responsibility come with freedom? Why yes/no?